Archive for the ‘design’ Category

The 4th of July is right around the corner and this is our inspiration to decorate with a red, white and blue color palette! Although it is a patriotic color palette, the primary colors of red and blue work well together and are pleasing to the eye. The warm red with the cool blue are complimentary colors and the white seems to break things up a little. There are many ways to make this patriotic color palette work without having to place stars and stripes everywhere. However, if stars and stripes is your thing, then let’s not make it tacky, shall we? Here are some rooms that are tastefully decorated in red, white and blue both traditional and contemporary.

The guest bedroom is the perfect place to implement a design that would be a little out of the ordinary. While the master bedroom is your sanctuary, the guest bedroom is a place where guests will stay for short visits. Since you will not be in the room constantly you don’t have to worry too much about the choices that you make. Don’t be afraid to make bold decisions that are a little out of your comfort zone. Make the room fun, yet inviting and most importantly comfortable (but not too comfortable or your guests might not want to leave!). Make your guest room special for your visitors and don’t hesitate to add the element of surprise!

Add a little something extra to your guest room to make your visitors feel welcome. Here are some ideas to accessorize your guest room that will make it more than just another room in the house and will show a little extra hospitality.

Create a relaxing sanctuary right in your own bedroom! We think these bedrooms have great style and here’s why!

If you like a calm and neutral palette this might be your style! Despite the neutral palette, however, this bedroom still screams luxury! The understated luxurious decor of this room combines affordable antiques with more expensive furniture pieces. When working with neutrals, incorporate bedding, rugs, throw pillows, paint and accent furniture with colors from the same color family. Make sure to keep the bed as the focal point.

Love the contrast of the warm chocolate walls against the white! This design is crisp, clean and fresh! Once again, the bed is the focal point with the interesting headboard and the white linens. The drapery adds a sense of drama yet also provides privacy. The chandelier adds interest and softens the room.

Both of these bedroom are both eclectic and bold! The use of bright colors and the mix of interesting furniture keeps these rooms fun and interesting. To keep the room unified, use at least one color that is constant throughout the room.

Gray is the ultimate neutral. It looks good with just about any color and ranges from cool to warm. Gray can provide the perfect anchor color and can also be used to offset moldings, flooring and ceiling in a room. Because gray looks good with just about any accent color you can’t really go wrong! Check out gray with these hot new color trends for 2010!

Gray and Yellow

Add a little cheerfulness to your gray with a beautiful yellow! If you have gray floors, gray walls or gray bathroom tiles work with what you’ve got to incoorporate color.

Gray and Turquoise

Turquoise is a hot color this season and will surely make any room pop with color! Blue evokes a calming emotion and between that and gray this color combo will keep you at ease.

Gray and Orange

Orange is becoming more and more popular these days despite how much your mom may hate it! If you use it sparingly you might not hate it 20 years later as much as your mom does.

Gray and Pink

So, pink might be a little touchy especially for the guys or if you live with a guy! Chances are, that you might not get your husband to agree with pink in a common area, but you might be able to swing it in a children’s room or guest bedroom. However, if you live alone this could be the perfect color palette just for you!

In today’s economy everybody wants to save a little money when it comes to decorating, remodeling or redesigning their home. Here are ten ways to get the best bang for your buck without spending a fortune.

Paint– Adding or changing paint in a room can make the biggest impact. Paint an entire room or an accent wall. Depending on the brand of paint you choose, one gallon can cost anywhere from $12-$30 and can change the entire dynamic of a room.

Paint

Area rugs– Area rugs can make a very monotone floor lively again. Area rugs are available in all different price ranges depending on the quality and fiber content of the rug. Choose an area rug that is large enough to cover three-quarters of the floor and look for colors in the rug that incorporate colors from your room.

Area Rugs

Accessorize with color– Add a pop of color with accessories such as a throw blanket, artwork, a vase or throw pillows. Consider introducing a new color in the room with the use of accessories.

Accessorize With Color

Throw pillows– Add or change throw pillows on your sofa. Fresh up to date throw pillows can make an outdated room or sofa look modern again. Throw pillows can be purchased very inexpensively at many different stores.

Throw Pillows

Wall decals– Wall decals are all the rage these days and can make a boring wall interesting. With many different designs available and the easy peel and stick application, wall decals are an easy and inexpensive decorating solution.

Wall Decals

Window treatments– Add or replace window treatments. Add a window treatment to a room can make a room appear finished. Premade window treatments can be purchased inexpensively or can be made relatively easily.

Window Treatments

Artwork– Liven up you bare walls with artwork. Make your own artwork or purchase inexpensive artwork at discounted stores. Use one large piece or a collage of pieces.

Artwork

Slipcovers– If your sofa is outdated and you do not want to buy a new one, slipcover your couch. Choose a slipcover that is different from your couch and one that is form fitting and not baggy.

Slipcovers

Lighting– Lighting is a very important interior design element and can change the entire dynamic of a room. Consider adding a lamp or pendant light over a sofa or chair.

Lighting

Indoor plants– Indoor plants can make a room appear softer. Place small plants on a pedestal and large potted plants on the floor. Use a nice decorative pot. They will look fabulous in the room once they begin to grow!

Getting your home ready for resale? Tis the season to sell, sell sell! In this market it is much harder than it looks, but there are a few things you can do to increase how your home shows as well as get top dollar offers.

Stage your house! Only 10% of home buyers can visualize the potential of a home. Also, professionally staged homes sell over 50% faster and 17% higher than an un-staged home. Even if you are still living in the house it needs to be staged for a buyer. The way your house is staged vs. the way you actually live in your house are two completely different things. Unfortunately, your house is not going to be “comfortable” while it is staged to sell. However, think of it as being temporary and it is a small price to pay to get what you want in the long run. Keep in mind that staging is about making buyers believe that your home meets all of their needs. Downplay the negatives and emphasize the positives.

Entryways

What does a buyer see when they come through the front door? Ask yourself this question. The entryway sets the stage for the whole house. It is the first impression and the last impression of your house. Keep entryways uncluttered, clean and tastefully decorated. Add a focal point.

Living and Family Rooms

The living room is the hub for most family activities and so it needs to be fully functional and ready to use. Check the fireplace so that it is fully functional and no obstructions in the flu. Make sure that the flooring in your living room is in good shape, whether it is carpet, hardwoods, slate, etc. If your floor is not in good shape consider a neutral area rug to cover any marks. Make sure the paint in your living or family room is neutral. A buyer needs to be able to picture their furniture going in that room and you can’t go wrong with neutral colors. Make sure that traffic areas are fully accessible. Optimize the sight lines and traffic flow into the room. Arrange the furniture so that potential buyers can get a clear view of everything in the room, including all the focal points and features. And always remember to declutter and clean.

Kitchen

Staged kitchens need to be spacious, bright, updated, neutral and clean…and I do mean CLEAN! Kitchen countertops tend to be the most important feature. If your kitchen needs updating consider spending some money on replacing the countertops. When staging your kitchen, remove 90% of what is on top of the countertop. This will make your kitchen feel as if there is more space to work. You want buyers to visualize what it would be like to live in your home and use your kitchen. Make sure that walls are neutral, appliances are decluttered (no magnets or your kid’s artwork hanging from the refrigerator) and window treatments are taken down to allow as much light as possible into the room.

Bedrooms

Remember that bedrooms are for sleeping and that is how the room should show. The focal point of the bedroom should be the bed and the dominant piece of furniture in the room which is easily visible from the doorway. Eliminate personal tastes that will distract the buyer such as strong colors, posters, personal pictures or accessories. A general rule is that anything with a nonsleeping or relaxing purpose should not be in the bedrooms. Keep bedrooms neat and tidy and make it feel like a sanctuary that anyone can relax and feel comfortable in.

Bathrooms

Make sure your bathroom is VERY clean and decluttered. There should be no evidence of primping and hygiene activities anywhere in the bathroom except neatly put away in drawers. The keyword for bathrooms is “spa-like”! You want buyers to feel as if they are walking into a spa when they enter your bathroom. Make a spa basket full of towels, bath salts and other bath items. If your bathroom needs updating change outdated light fixtures, countertops (no colored countertops) and flooring. Repaint if necessary, grout tiles and repair caulking. Make sure there is a lot of light in the bathroom.

Closets

The rule of thumb with closets is that they need to be only half full. You want your home to appear as if it has a lot of storage space. Think about the closet’s purpose and what should go in there. A bedroom closet should have clothes, a linen closet should have linens, etc. Your closets need to be decluttered as well. Make sure your closets are neat, tidy and organized. This will send the message to potential buyers that this is how you maintain the rest of your home.

Green, the color of St. Patty’s Day…but do you really want to wear it? Well, that might depend on the shade of green and where you are going to be sporting this fabulous color. A color that you choose to wear should be suitable for your age, your surroundings and if it looks good with your complexion and hair color. A similar set of rules apply to interior design when choosing a color for the interior or exterior of your home. Do you ever wonder why someone painted the exterior of their house turquoise or bright purple? Well if you find the answer, please let me know!

Just because you “like” a color does not mean that you need to smear it all over the inside and outside of your house. Consider the following when you are deciding on a color to paint the interior or exterior of your house.

Overwhelmed with all the different paint brands and color options to choose from? Narrow it down starting with brand. Quality and price are usually a consumer’s two main deciding factors. My favorite brand of paint these days is Behr Ultra. Behr Ultra makes your life a little easier and who doesn’t want that! This new line of Behr Paint is a primer and paint in one and it was rated number one by Consumer Reports for all three sheens (flat, satin and semi-gloss) where it tests for hide and coverage, mold and mildew, scrubability, fading and price. Behr Ultra covers very well and you will not have to paint over that red wall fourteen times. The Ultra line also has a very nice color palette. There are a lot of mid-tones and earth tones to choose from. If you are still overwhelmed with color options however, chances are, you can eliminate at least one-third of the color palette. Consider the context of your house and if bright bold colors will actually work, if not eliminate them. The color palette of your entire house should flow together. You don’t want to shock grandma as she walks around the corner and sees something totally out-of-place from the rest of the house like a bright fuschia wall! If you do want to be a little daring, however, choose bold colors wisely. Make an accent wall a brighter color that accentuates your furnishings and architecture of the room, don’t paint the entire room that color. Remember, a little goes a long way!

Does the color you chose coordinate with the rest of the environment? With interior paint, choose a color that coordinates with your furnishings, carpet and moldings. These are the big things in the room that will most likely not be changed. With exterior paint, choose a color that is appropriate for where you live. If you live in Seattle for instance, earth tones are very pleasing and coordinates well with the natural environment. Rarely, does a hot pink house look good in the Pacific Northwest! However, bright bold colors are more common and appropriate in the south.